Agricultural product delivery systems are known to utilize various mechanisms, including mechanical and pneumatic systems to move particulate material or product, such as fertilizer, seed, insecticide or herbicide, from a product supply chamber, through a series of elongate tubes that extend from a product supply chamber to a product applicator, and placing the product on, or in growing medium, such as soil. Such agricultural product delivery systems are commonly employed in planters, air drills, fertilizer and pesticide applicators and a variety of other agricultural implements.
Agricultural implements that employ such an agricultural product delivery system are known to have a particulate material supply source such as one or more tanks that are loaded with the particulate material or materials to be applied. The tanks have or are associated with a metering device, which typically consists of a rotating element, which meters the particulate materials from the tanks into a set of distribution channels, such as conduits, hoses, etc., for application to the farm field. In most systems, a pneumatic source such as a fan or blower provides air to convey and distribute material through the distribution channels. Once the metering of particulates is done and the mix of air and particulates is in the distribution channels, the solid concentration should remain nearly constant and fully entrained in dilute phase.
Systems as described have provided certain advantages and have worked acceptably in some aspects, but are not without disadvantages, inefficiencies or inconveniences. For example, it is desirable to use a material supply source, such as a tank, with different applicator equipment, for example, by coupling the tanks with a planter for planting seed, and later coupling the same tank equipment with an applicator for applying needed pesticides and/or fertilizer. This has been difficult due to the necessary metering systems for applying the different materials. With the metering device provided on the tank, it is necessary to adjust the metering device whenever the tank is used for supplying a different material. This can be time consuming and inconvenient if the metering device is underneath the tank.
While the use of a metering system can effectively distribute the different particulate material to the various distribution channels and nozzles of the applicator, the metering system itself is a complex mechanism that must be accurately operated in order to effectively distribute the particulate matter to each nozzle and to accommodate for operational changes including additional particulate material(s) to be dispensed and turning compensations, among others.
Further, the prior art metering systems suffer from issues with regard to the ability of the metering systems to separately meter multiple particulate materials into a plurality of distribution channels and to reduce any interference of pneumatic air flow through the distribution channels with the metering of the particulate materials by the metering systems.
In addition, once the proper proportion of the particulate material is metered into the distribution channels, it is necessary to get the material evenly entrained into the flow of air through the distribution channels and deliver it to the discharge nozzles in a constant, even flow without interruptions in either the flow of particulate material or the air carrying the entrained particulate material.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide an improved agricultural product conveying system that enhances operational efficiency and convenience of the applicator without complicating its construction.